Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Sets New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $32.98 and last traded at $32.9220, with a volume of 2097899 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $32.45.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America upped their price target on Carnival from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of Carnival from $26.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Carnival in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Carnival from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.00.

Carnival Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $37.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.10, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 2.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $29.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.22.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.38 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 10.37%.The company’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.14 EPS. Carnival has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.170-0.170 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.48 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Carnival Corporation will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Carnival

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Carnival by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 128,133,282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,913,190,000 after buying an additional 368,445 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Carnival by 4.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 47,369,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,369,459,000 after acquiring an additional 1,845,850 shares during the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 36,109,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,043,929,000 after acquiring an additional 291,864 shares in the last quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC grew its position in Carnival by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 31,912,001 shares of the company’s stock worth $922,576,000 after acquiring an additional 2,783,927 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Carnival by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 27,617,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $773,398,000 after purchasing an additional 1,906,110 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

About Carnival

Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL) is a global cruise operator that provides leisure travel services through a portfolio of passenger cruise brands. The company’s core business is operating cruise ships that offer multi-night voyages and associated vacation services, including onboard accommodations, dining, entertainment, spa and wellness offerings, casinos, youth programs, and organized shore excursions. Carnival markets cruise vacations to a broad range of consumers, from value-focused travelers to premium and luxury segments, through differentiated brand positioning and onboard experiences.

Its operating structure comprises multiple well-known cruise brands that target distinct geographic and demographic markets.